I race down the docks, and Benny follows. “We can get people there without you having to show off your body.”
“Probably. But we’ve got less than an hour, and we need to convince everyone. This will help.”
I leave him on my porch to dig in my closet and find that awful thing. It takes me longer than I want to get it on, but after a few minutes, I’m back outside, and Benny’s eyes watch me, full of desire.
I pat him on the cheek. “Not tonight, buddy.”
He blushes. “I still don’t like this.”
Boys drool as I approach them, and the girls follow the boys. Pretty soon, nearly all of them are inside Luke’s tent. It works like a charm.
The first ray of sun pinks the sky as Amy meets me just outside the tiger tent.
“How many?” I ask.
“Seventy-three.”
“Dammit. This will only work if we get them all.”
Benny shows up a few minutes later, three people in tow. The rest of the islanders are right behind him. The sun is nearly cresting.
“Quick, get them in the cage,” Benny says.
Luke hands me the key. “We can’t find any others. Maybe we miscounted earlier.”
“Maybe.”
I don’t have time to think about it. This is my best shot. I show up just outside the cage, and a few boys give a whistle.
As soon as the three stragglers enter, I lock the cage from the outside, and complaints come immediately.
“Hey, we were told you would be in here with us.”
“Too bad,” I say and wink. The islanders all surround the cage. I duck outside and see the sun peeking over the trees, and ghosts rush for us. I fly back inside.
“We only have to keep them safe for another few minutes.”
The ghosts run into the tent and stop dead when they see us. “Stand firm. Remember, they can’t kill us.”
One of the giants, who I saw rip a man in half, stalks toward me. “But we can hurt you.”
He grabs my arm, and Benny steps next to me. “Let her go.”
“I thought you were on our side,” he growls.
Benny hauls off and punches him in the gut, but it doesn’t even phase him. He throws Benny aside and lifts me up. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I thrash and squirm as he carries me outside. He tosses me out, and I land hard on my back. I lose my breath and black out.
My vision comes back a few seconds, or maybe minutes, later. I look at the sun. It’s nearly over the trees. I rush back to the tent, but then I see a sight that makes my stomach drop.
A small girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, stands outside the main tent, looking lost. That’s no ghost.
She’s number seventy-seven.
An ugly female ghost falls out of the tent door to the big cats and spots the girl. I run for her, and so does the hag.
She reaches her seconds before I do. She grips the girl by both arms, and the girl screams.
I plow right into the hag, and we all fall into a heap on the ground. I’m hitting and scratching, not really caring if I get the girl or the hag. I’m just trying to distract her long enough for the sun to finish rising.
Suddenly, the hag disappears. The girl is still fighting, and I scramble up. The sun is completely over the tree line. I rush for the tent. Everyone is breathing hard.
“Did we do it?” I ask.
Amy smiles at me. “We did.”
I let out a whoop.
We can defeat Samuel after all.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
In all the chaos of the last couple of weeks, I haven’t had a spare minute to look over the books I took from Samuel’s library. And now that we’ve seen some success, Samuel is bound to fight back, so I have to learn everything I can about Obeah and what it means.
And more importantly, right now I have to find a solution to rescuing Benny before he is forced to move on. I grab a couple of cheese sticks from the fridge and a granola bar and dig out the first book I took from Samuel’s library. The Art of Trapping Souls. I’d looked at it before but hadn’t gotten very far.
The book is written in a combination of English and Creole—at least that’s what Benny said it was. I try to string together words, but it’s like all the important ones, the ones that tell me anything useful, are gibberish. It’s what was in that contract Samuel made me sign.
I thumb through the other two books and find the same exact thing.
Dammit.
I shove the books under my bed and tromp over to Lorena’s. It’s still fairly early, and the air smells like mowed grass. She’s sitting on her porch, which I don’t get because it’s already hot, and I’m sweating just from the walk over here even though I’m wearing just a tank and short running shorts.
I step onto her boat. “I need you to teach me something.”
She laughs and stops her knitting. “You always need me to teach you something. Can’t you just enjoy the success we’ve had? Take a break. We’ve got a whole month to figure out another plan.”
“This is important, and I don’t have a whole month. I can’t read any of the advanced spell books. I need to learn Creole.” I lean forward and put a hand on my knees.
“That could take a lifetime.” She drops her eyes back to her sweater, and the needles clack together.
“Come on, please.” I’m begging, but I don’t have any other options.
“No. Dear, I’m afraid you’re on your own on this one. I like the plan we have, and I don’t want you messing things up.”
“Lorena,” I whine.
She stands. “Maybe later. But today, I’ve got things to do. For the last two weeks, I’ve done nothing but help you plan the shenanigans with the boats. Off with you.”
I trudge home and find Elias whistling as he shucks corn. I give him a small smile.
“You should be happier today. Yer plan worked.”
I sink down onto my porch swing, and my legs immediately stick to the seat. “Yeah, but I can’t read the books that I got on magic, and Lorena won’t teach me.”
He creases his eyes. “You need help learnin’ Creole?”
“Yeah.”
“I kin learn you.” He puts down the corn, pulls out a blue pencil, and scrawls something in a notebook. It looks like a series of numbers.
I snort. I tolerate him, but hanging out, that’s a little much. Plus, out of everyone on the island, Elias has never struck me as smart.
“I need to learn how to read it. Not speak.”
“I can do that.”
“You know how to read?” That’s a low blow, but I can’t picture Elias doing anything like reading.
“I can read in four different languages. I’m not an idiot.” His voice is suddenly different with almost a Boston accent.
“Could’ve fooled me.” I’m being mean, but Elias has always been a creeper, and now he’s offering to help me.
He shrugs. “If you don’t want help, that’s fine. Jest offerin’.” He slips right back into his southern accent. Maybe there is more to Elias than I know.
Lorena won’t help, and Samuel might’ve if I asked him before I took one of his ghosts. Now, that will never happen. If Elias is willing to do the job, then I have no reason to turn him down.
“You really can teach me?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, yes, I’d like you to teach me.” My whole body tenses. This could be a game changer. Though the thought of spending significant amounts of time with him doesn’t appeal to me at all, at this point, I don’t have any other choice. If I have any chance at all of learning the spells, I have to learn to read Creole.
Hopefully, Elias can keep his grimy paws to himself.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lorena and I have dinner at Amy’s house. It’s unusually quiet because the kids are all gone. Strange lights flicker outside her window, but I’ve gotten used to that. There is magic everywhere on the island.
Jeffery bursts through the door. “Samuel wants to meet
with everyone.”
My chest tightens, and Lorena looks at me. “What do you think this is about?” she asks.
“You know what this is about.”
“Maybe you should stay here.”
“No. I have to see what he has to say.” Half the battle with Samuel is in the details, and I have to read between the lines.
Lorena gives me a look. “You know Samuel might reveal...” Her voice trails off, and she looks at Amy, who is busy helping Jeffery redo the buttons on his shirt.
“I’ll stay in the back.” If Samuel starts to tell my secrets, then I can just slip out before anyone notices.
Lorena places a hand on my arm. “You can stay here or go home. I’ll tell you everything.”
“No, I need to go, too. He’ll be mad if I don’t show.”
We make our way to the circus tents. I stare up at the stars. It’s a rare clear night, and I appreciate the view, but it doesn’t help the nerves dancing in my stomach.
I trip over a tire that is used to anchor one of the smaller tents, and I fly forward, landing hard on my hands. Jeffery races for me and grabs my arm.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
Just my pride. I brush off my hands. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
We reach the main tent. One of the poles on the side has collapsed, causing half the tent to look deflated. Lorena and I sit in the back row of the hard wooden benches, and Luke slips in after us and sits on my other side. Amy and her family sit right in front of us.
Samuel stands up front, all made up in his ringmaster gear with a bright red jacket. Of course he’d go all theatrical.
He doesn’t say anything and instead moves through the crowd. Murmurs follow him. He stops in front of me and holds out his hand.
“Callie, love, join me.”
I don’t want to take that hand. People are already suspicious enough. “I’m fine. Right here.”
His hand doesn’t move. “I think it will be a wise move on your part to join me.” His voice is cold. This isn’t good at all. He’s kept my secret so far, and I’ll really appreciate it if he keeps it a little longer. Maybe he’s not going to reveal anything tonight.
I grit my teeth and stand, but I do not take his hand. “Fine.”
His face falls, and he drops his hand. I take the lead and bolt to the front. This may be his game, but I don’t have to play by his rules. He will not get the best of me.
I stand in the front and cross my arms. Samuel makes his way slowly to me.
“I understand that I may have gone too far in rewriting the contracts. And so, in lieu of our adventures last night, I have decided to give you back your old contracts.”
A cheer goes up from the crowd. This is not helpful. In order for us to defeat Samuel, I need them all on my side, and if he returns the contracts, they might not be as willing to help me.
He waits for them to calm down. “On two conditions.”
The islanders all go quiet, and I swear the temperature in the room plummets. A bird chirps outside, and everyone jumps.
He paces the room, making eye contact with each islander. “First, you must agree, and this will be in writing, that you will never do anything again that will prevent my ghosts from killing.”
Murmurs of assent fly through the crowd, and the air goes out of my lungs. I’ve lost them, and I have no other plan.
“The second condition is entirely up to Callie. If she agrees to what I’m about to ask, I’ll sign your old contracts first thing in the morning. If not, too bad. I’ll take my chances with your ill laid plans.”
Of course he’ll want to punish me, and I know what he’s going to ask. He wants another kiss. Whoop de doo. I’ve done it twice now. I’ll do it again without a thought.
Except Benny.
He’ll have to understand.
Samuel steps in front of me and gets down on one knee. He pulls a small box out from his jacket pocket and pops it open, revealing a stunning diamond ring.
My heart stops. I smell gasoline and burning rubber, and I want to scream. If I don’t agree to this, the islanders will turn on me.
Samuel is an asshole.
“Marry me,” he says. His face is eager like I might actually agree. He can’t be serious. Marry him? After he threatened to chain me to his bed for eternity. After he killed Juliette. No way in hell.
He needs to know exactly where I stand. There is no maybe in this. But my chest is tight, and I feel like I can’t breathe.
“No.” I back away from him, wanting to escape from this horrible dream.
He closes the ring box and stands tall, turning toward the crowd. “Did you hear that? Callie refused. Remember that the next time you are reminded of the new contract.”
Whispers break out in the crowd. I can’t believe he has put me in this position. I’ll never marry that man.
Edward jumps up. “I’m willing to help you force that ring on her finger.”
Jane rises. “I’ll help. We can hold her down while you consummate the marriage.”
The crowd starts to murmur and shout for me to take the ring. I’m going to puke. These are the same people who were willing to help me defeat him, and now they’re helping him. To think I was actually starting to like them all.
Samuel just stares at me.
If they really feel that way, then let them keep their stinking contracts. I don’t care.
Then my eyes meet Amy’s. There is a desperation there that I don’t want to see. Her kids mean everything to her. I look for Luke. He’s worried, but he doesn’t rise. Coward. Lorena stares at me, bold and fearless. As much as I want to help everybody, I won’t marry Samuel.
I don’t budge.
Samuel waits for the crowd to quiet down once again and turns to Edward. “Now, now. There will be no need for that. When Callie marries me, it will not be by force. She will join me willingly.”
He’s got another thing coming.
He keeps his voice irritatingly even, like this is just an everyday conversation, but I know what’s coming. “Perhaps you would be interested in understanding why you had to sign new contracts in the first place.”
Everyone stays silent. They’ve wanted this explanation since Juliette died, and he refused to give it. My stomach heaves, and I very nearly agree to marry him, but I will not prostitute myself. Lorena’s eyes flash, but I look away from her. My world is about to be turned upside down. I wish Benny were here with me.
“Callie, love, would you like to tell them the story? Or perhaps, you’d like to reconsider my offer?” His voice is soft and sweet, but I know his true motives.
I shake my head because I don’t trust myself to not puke when I open my mouth.
He drops his eyes, acting all penitent. “I had to think of my own safety, so there is a clause in each of your contracts ensuring I cannot be harmed. This is in both the old and the new contracts.”
“Did Juliette try to hurt you?” Amy asks, her voice three notches too high.
Samuel goes to her and falls to his knees in front of her. By the time this is over, no one will see him as the bad guy. I feel like a deer caught in the headlights about to die because I can’t move.
“No, dear, Juliette didn’t have anything to do with this.” He stands, his eyes downcast. “But someone else did. In fact, she tried to kill me.”
“Who?” Amy asks, but she meets my eyes. She knows. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, hoping this will all go away.
“I’m getting there. First you need to understand what all this means. The clause in each of your contracts was that if anyone with a contract tried to kill me, all contracts on the island are void.”
“That’s not fair!” Joe, one of the clowns, shouts.
“It was in your contract, Joe,” Samuel says with a look of concern.
I clench my fists. Of course, no one knows what is in their contracts, but he’s making it seem like they should all know.
“So what idiot tried to kill you?” Luke asks. I can’t belie
ve he hasn’t figured it out.
A slow grin forms over Samuel’s lips.
“Your lovely niece there.”
Every head turns to face me, and my stomach swoops. Luke is quiet for a moment. “But Callie didn’t have a contract with you.”
He raises his eyebrows. “She does now. She didn’t sign it until after she tried to kill me. The clause in the contract doesn’t specify when the contract has to be signed.”
“So if Callie hadn’t signed anything, Juliette would still be alive,” Amy says.
“Exactly.”
Amy glares at me. “You bitch. You come around acting like you’re a friend, and instead you got my baby killed.”
“Oh, that’s not even the half of it.” He takes a step toward the audience, reveling in their anger.
Everyone turns back to Samuel. He nods his head to the door like I should run. I don’t know why he’s acting like he wants to help me when it’s clear he’s destroying my life. I don’t run. I can’t. Not if he’s going to spread lies about me. I need to be able to defend myself.
“When Callie found out the contracts had been voided, she told me that she figured out that there was no reason for you to sign new contracts because, at that point, you weren’t trapped here. You could have left. But I threatened to share her secret, so instead she chose to save her own neck and let you all sign those new contracts.”
Jane leaps to her feet. “Anything else she did?” Her voice is low and angry. Samuel meets my eyes again and, once more, motions to the door with his head. But I’m frozen in place. I can’t move.
Samuel laughs. “Isn’t that enough?”
Almost as one, the entire room rises and rushes for me. One of the clowns, David, tackles me to the ground. I can barely breathe under his weight. Someone pulls my hair, and everyone is shouting. People pound and kick my body. I should fight back, but I can’t because they have every right to be angry with me.
Suddenly, thousands of wings beat in the air, and the pummels on my back and the kicks to my legs stop. I slowly stand, surrounded by birds so thick I can’t even see the people on the other side.
My adrenaline finally hits, and I flee, the birds following.
Circus of the Dead: Book 2 Page 13
